The 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) took place in Vienna from September 14 to 18. The Monegasque delegation, led by Isabelle Rosabrunetto, Director General of the Department of External Relations and Cooperation, reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to the use of nuclear science and technology for cancer prevention and treatment, as well as for the protection of the marine environment. In this context, and as has already been done with other countries, an agreement was signed on September 16 in support of the “Rayons d’espoir” (Rays of Hope) initiative between the Principality of Monaco and the IAEA, led by Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, to support access to radiation therapy in low- and middle-income countries. On the environmental front, emphasis was placed on the role of the IAEA’s Marine Environment Laboratories, based in the Principality since 1961, which are also tasked with monitoring plastic pollution in the sea (the NUTEC Plastics program), and to coordinate ALMERA—an acronym for Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity—the international network of analytical laboratories for monitoring radioactivity in the environment, which will meet in Monaco in November 2026.
